Letters
by mecaka
Summary: Gift!fic for luckynumberblack! Jack hasn't seen Jamie in 10 years. When he finally gets time to go see him, he's surprised by what he finds... Merry Christmas everyone!


**This is a gift!fic for my internet-bestie (I'll use it again here! ;D) ****luckynumberblack****. She is such an encouragement in my writing and life in general. I sort of hope that this is both what you wanted and not at all what you were expecting.**

**Don't own ****_Rise of the Guardians_****. Seriously doubt I ever will.**

* * *

Jack sat on the wrong side of the window staring in at the family gathered around the tree. _Ten years..._

He felt terrible about it. He had promised himself that he would come back and visit, at least once. But he hadn't realized how little time he had. He hadn't realized the only thing keeping him from losing his mind before becoming a Guardian had been _how little time he had_.

He couldn't come during the time between Easter and Thanksgiving. He was busy spreading winter in the Southern Hemisphere; and the Northern Hemisphere was a _little_ too warm for a winter spirit to be comfortable. And Bunny would probably kill him.

He did come during the time between Thanksgiving and Easter, but there was a _lot_ of land in the Northern Hemisphere, and most people liked seeing snow during December through February. He had a lot of expectations to live up to. He didn't have time to stop and _chat_.

And there hadn't really been a need to. Pitch hadn't been seen at all since his Nightmares had dragged him back into his lair. The kid hadn't ever been in any serious danger or trouble that warranted Jack coming by.

The only reason he was here now, he kept telling himself, was because he'd promised to come back.

Jamie's light had probably gone out a long time ago anyways. He was nineteen, for goodness' sake!

He stared in through the window, only being able to see in because it was dark out here, and very, _very_ bright in there. He could see Jamie sitting on the couch with his sister, laughing at some story his mom was telling from a chair nearby. There were a few presents under the tree. There was a fire in the fireplace, several lamps on around the room, and the lights on the tree itself, all giving the room a cheery glow.

He looked happy. Then, suddenly, he was looking straight out the window. At Jack.

Jamie's mouth was slightly open, and he blinked a few times. He focused on the window, his eyebrows drawing together. He turned to his mom and said something, then got up and walked out of the room.

A few minutes later, he was outside, staring at Jack, a small smile on his face. There were a bundle of letters under his arm.

"Jack!"

"You can see me?"

Jamie blinked. He took a step back, and looked almost hurt. "You really think that I would stop believing?"

Jack looked down. "Well, I never did come back... and, most kids grow out of it, eventually."

"Yeah, but most kids don't meet all the Guardians, help defeat the Boogeyman, and get encouraged to keep believing by Jack Frost."

Jack smiled a little at that. "True..."

Jamie's smile came back. He suddenly seemed to remember the letters nestled in the crook of his arm. "Oh! Um... These... These are for you."

"Wha—_all_ of those are for me? Who are they _from_?"

Jamie handed the bundle to him. "Me. They're all from... me. I wrote one whenever I felt that there was something I wanted to tell you, or that I thought you'd want or need to know. Some are from when I started doubting again."

Jack stared at the stack of letters. Each was sealed, the stack was tied together with a piece of string. The envelopes on the bottom were more than a little crumpled and dingy. Only the very top one was still white, and only one corner was slightly bent. "How many are there?"

"I think there's... twenty? I don't really know. I didn't bother keeping count. I mean, I probably would have started counting eventually... Like, when I'd start needing a box maybe."

_Is this how Santa feels when he gets all those letters from children around the world?_

* * *

He and Jamie talked for a while, until Sophie came out to see why Jamie was sitting outside in the cold talking to himself. Jamie asked for a couple more minutes, and he and Jack said their goodbyes. Jamie promised to keep writing the letters, and Jack promised to come back around when he could to pick them up.

It became a tradition, of sorts. There was no scheduled time for the meeting. Jack would appear, quite a bit more frequently as time went on, and Jamie would give him the next set of letters. Jack read each and everyone, and kept them all at the Pole, in a chest North had given him.

* * *

_"Dear Jack,_

_That time I lost a tooth and all the other Guardians showed up. Were you there, too? I'm sorry I didn't believe in you before that. You were the reason the alarm clock went off, weren't you?! And then Abby was chasing the Easter Bunny around and everyone got knocked out..._

_._

_._

_._

_Today at school, some kids were telling me I shouldn't still believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny. The worst part was, Monty and Pippa were there, and they weren't helping me defend you guys at _all_. I can't believe they would..._

_._

_._

_._

_Sophie asked me who Jack Frost is today, and why I'm always writing to him. She never met you, did she? The only one she believes in anymore is the Easter Bunny, and it's only because she went to the Warren. I don't think her light's going to last much longer..._

_._

_._

_._

_Gosh, Jack, I met this great girl, she's so amazing. She's smart and funny, and doesn't care that I still believe in you and the others. She thinks I'm a little strange for it, but it's not going to drive her away!  
I think I love her.  
_

_._

_._

_._

_I'm proposing to Samantha tomorrow. Wish me luck?_

_._

_._

_._

_Sam's pregnant Jack! I'm gonna be a dad! Can you believe that? I'M GONNA BE A DAD! I can tell my kids all about you and the other Guardians. Maybe they'll be like me and they won't ever stop believing. Wouldn't that be great? Imagine a guaranteed belief-source from me and my kids and their kids..._

_._

_._

_._

_Sophie's been... Off, lately... I don't know what's wrong or how to help her. Jack, how could such an innocent little girl grow up into... something so broken. She's hurting, but I don't know what to do..._

_._

_._

_._

_Celeste went on her first date yesterday. Is it wrong for me to hate the kid? I don't want him to hurt her... I don't want her to end up like Sophie..._

_._

_._

_._

_I got to meet Daniel's twins this morning. Jack, I thought being a dad was great! These kids... I don't have to worry about them turning out badly! I can be just like you around them! He's giving the older one a family name: 'Emma'. There's always been an Emma in the family..._

_._

_._

_._

_- Jamie_

* * *

It went on like this for a long time. Jamie got older and older with each meeting. His kids grew up and had kids of their own. When Jack came on Thanksgiving or Christmas, there were always a _lot_ of people at Jamie's house, and Jamie would have a hard time trying to find a place they could talk without someone appearing and thinking he was crazy.

Jack started coming at other times.

And then, one time, in the middle of January, there were a lot of people over. And they were wearing a lot of black.

* * *

That last time, Jack managed to get inside the house. Jamie had shown him, once, a long time ago, where he kept the letters before giving them to Jack. Maybe there'd be another stack waiting for him. He went up to Jamie's room. He found the desk, and found the last letter. There wasn't a stack this time, just one letter.

'_Jack Frost_' was penned on the front in a shaky hand. Jack took in a shaky breath. He flew back to the Pole, wanting to read this somewhere private.

* * *

"_Dear Jack,_

_The last few times you've visited, you asked me what was wrong. I didn't want you to worry about me, because I'm only one mortal being. I've been sick. I don't think I'm going to make it to the next time you come. So I'm writing this._

_Jack, you've been a great friend. I feel I might have been selfish, wanting you to come and visit me when you should have been spreading fun to the rest of the world._

_But I couldn't help it. You've always been there for me, and I liked having someone I could share _everything_ with. No one else in my life is like that. I can't tell my friends about what North brought my kids, or that I talked to a tooth fairy three weeks ago when she came to pick up little Michael's first tooth._

_I can't tell them about how happy I am that Sarah and Emma still believe in you guys, even though they turned twelve this year._

_I can share everything with you, Jack. And I can't express how much every visit has meant to me._

_When you read this, I'll probably be gone. I'm leaving it somewhere no one else will see. I don't know how long it will take for you to discover that I'm gone, but know this, Jack: I believe in you, and I always will. Even if I get really depressed and impatient for the end, I will continue to have HOPE, WONDER, MEMORIES, DREAMS, and FUN to keep me going._

_Thanks for always being there._

_Try to find another kid to spoil!_

_- Jamie"_

* * *

A few months later, Jack found the perfect kid: Michael Bennet, Jamie's youngest grandson.

* * *

**Wow, this turned out a lot sadder than intended. I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written (not counting author's notes...).**


End file.
